This book is for readers who love the fantasy genre. It's not perfect, and it's occasionally confusing. But what great fantasy series isn't described that way? All I can do is hope this gets better with each book. The first books in a big series are never the best. What I'll remember is how I feel about it after I finish the whole series. 

It had a large cast, and it takes it's time setting up the story. The vibes are classic, traditional fantasy. Complete with moody mentors and animal companions. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm excited to continue the story. I just wish I had connected with more of the characters. Also, I wish some of the characters had a more unique voice. In the beginning, I found it hard to keep track of people because they felt like the same person. 

I see a lot of comments praising how battles and duels are written by Gwynne. While I agree that he does a fine job of describing the action, I think it happens too often here. By the end, I was a little bored with it, to be honest. I especially find it annoying when a character has to fight the same fight again and again. Just kill the twats and move on. However, if you are a lover of fight scenes, you may enjoy it more than I did. 

I would definitely recommend this to fantasy fans, but I'm not sure if it would hit for other types of readers.